"An extremely difficult film to watch and isn't a film you'd ever like to see again..."

In competition at Cannes Film Festival last year, it's somewhat difficult to judge the validity of Polisse's inclusion, as some may argue that French films are favoured at the prestigious event, almost like the kids who had parents as their teachers. Yet Polisse dispels any scepticism, as an emotive and thought-provoking picture that will certainly live long in the memory.

From director Maïwenn, Polisse delves into the everyday life of those working at a child protection unit in Paris. Dealing with paedophilia, sexual assault and domestic abuse, the brave workers at such a unit are handling harrowing cases all day long, having to interview young children about their experiences, as well as unforgiving adults who had been the perpetrators of such acts. Going to work every day and facing such crimes takes its toll on the employees, as they struggle to separate their work from their home life, taking on jobs that have lasting psychological effects.

Within the department we have the recently divorced Nadine (Karin Viard) and her close friend and colleague Iris (Marina Foïs). We also have Baloo (Frédéric Pierrot) who is having troubles at home with his wife, and the volatile Fred (Joey Starr) who too is confronting issues on the home front and is sleeping on the sofa at Baloo's house. However Fred is boosted by the arrival of photo journalist Melissa (Maïwenn) who is working on a project at their department, as the pair take a liking towards one another.  Amongst a few others, the close-knit group only seem to confide in one another and as a result of their testing and emotionally draining career, the one thing they all share in common is that they are each suffering from issues of their own, outside of the CPU.

Of course given the tough subject matters Polisse explores, this is not easy viewing. There are some scenes that are extremely difficult to watch and horribly uncomfortable. Unbearable even. A little too much so perhaps in some instances. Yet one can't help but feel that it's an effortless task in making this picture emotive and challenging given the subject matters and themes. Therefore you should be cautious in giving too much praise to Maïwenn for provoking such distress, as it would be very difficult not to make this film upsetting.

However in fairness to her, Maïwenn masterfully intertwines the more difficult scenes with upbeat, jovial sequences. We are continuously cutting between shock and humour. At one point a young girl is trying to tell a quite difficult story to the police, yet they all have the giggles and can't help but make each other laugh, bringing a wonderful personality to an otherwise distressing scene. It is important to stress that this film is working as a study of character and one must bear in mind that those working on the CPU have lives outside of work, and they are able to laugh as well as cry. It's just a job for them, after all. Maïwenn presents this side to the characters’ lives so well, as it also offers some light-relief which is a necessity in such a bleak picture. There is one brilliant scene in a night club after a tough day at work where they are all just dancing together. Suddenly we deviate away from child suffering and for a moment we feel the same sense of relief that the workers do in having their night off.

The shocking tales we have to sit through and learn of are each so inexplicable and nasty, that they would each warrant their own feature film in their own right, yet Maïwenn cleverly removes us from feeling any emotional attachment to the victims, presenting each case for just a short period of time. There aren't any continuous episodes. They come, they tell their story, and we move on to the next one. This is a good move by Maïwenn as it takes away the substance and significance of each case, which puts us once more in the shoes of the employees. We feel as they do regarding each proceeding - yes they are horrifying, but you have no choice but to brush them off and move on to the next one – no space for sentiment in this profession.

The film has a wonderfully naturalistic approach, as it feels almost like a documentary. There is no narrative as such, Polisse just works as a mere depiction of life in the CPU as we follow individuals and their own stories. To enhance such a sentiment, the performances across the board are just fantastic, particularly by the stand out performer Joey Starr.

However it does become somewhat difficult to fully come to terms with each character as there are so many of them explored we don't really have a real protagonist, whilst the one character which really seems superfluous in the grand scheme of things is that of Melissa, played by the director Maïwenn herself. She clearly couldn't help but give herself a role.

Polisse is an intriguing feature film, and one that provokes a whole range of emotions. It's extremely difficult to watch and isn't a film you'd ever like to see again, but one that is certainly worth that first viewing.